The Troubles Children Get Into
by Aerija
Summary: Morgan finally becomes a part of the Justice Cabal, along with Owain, and drags Inigo, as well as his sister, into playing. A one-shot that involves the childhood of the four children.


The Troubles Children Get Into

Little Inigo hides behind his mother's legs and shyly peeks out from behind. His grip on her pants tightens and his face is a red hue as he stares at the two others before him: the two blue-haired royal siblings of Ylisse, Morgan and Lucina. Behind them is their mother, Robin, who is also known as history's greatest tactician and world's greatest mother—or so Morgan claims. Though Inigo has no knowledge of tactics, he does know Robin is definitely _not_ the world's greatest mother—that position belongs to his mother—but he does not say so to his friend for fear of being tackled or pushed or executed by the queen herself, though the latter is merely a story fabricated by Owain.

The dark-haired tactician smiles and greets his parents, "It's nice to see you two are well, Olivia, Lon'Qu." The swords master grunts, while the shy dancer stutters a greeting. Robin places her hands on her knees and bends down to greet the hiding timid boy, "And hello to you too, Inigo."

Inigo's blush darkens intensely and he trembles slightly, as he mutters a quiet, "Hello." He shrinks into himself even further when all eyes are on him.

"Inigo," his mother says, "This is Lucina and Morgan. Remember? You played with them once." He nods in response. He remembers playing with Morgan often since the two are of the same age, though he barely remembers Lucina. It may be due to the fact that the Ylissean princess is the oldest and, therefore, plays with the older children.

However, both Inigo and Morgan have turned the ten years old the past year and, by the laws of the big kids' world, are not considered as 'babies' anymore. Morgan is especially excited because he is now a part of the Justice Cabal, along with Owain, his cousin.

"The other children are playing in the courtyard. Lucina, dear, take your brother and Inigo to them," Robin says.

"Yes, mother," the twelve year old girl replies. She looks to Inigo and says, "Come on then." Morgan immediately darts off and she is quick to follow, yelling at the boy to slow down. Inigo, who is still flustered, stumbles slightly before running, while shouting, "W-wait for me!"

Robin chuckles and glances at the two shyest members of the Shepherds beside her, which is odd as one is a dancer and the other is a gladiator, and comments, "Inigo definitely takes after his parents."

* * *

When he finally catches up—the courtyard is much larger than he initially thinks—Inigo is gasping for air. Morgan is beside him and is panting as well, though with a much happier face.

"I win!" the blue-haired boy declares, his eyes bright with pride. Inigo pouts because he is not aware there was a race.

"That's not fair, Morgan, you started before us!" Lucina exclaims. Her brother merely sticks out his tongue at her.

"It's called _strategy_," he emphasizes the last word, "You don't tell the enemy your plan beforehand." The ten year old is proud of himself for remembering that part of his mother's lesson, albeit a basic one.

Lucina however, is not impressed and mutters, "Cheater." The two begin to glare at each other. She wagers she can tackle her brother in one swift movement.

"Um…" Inigo tries to catch their attention, but his voice is too soft to be heard by either. A loud voice breaks through however, and the feuding siblings are distracted.

"Ah, there you are dear cousin! I thought you lost when you had not return," Owain, the cousin of the siblings, announces loudly. His arms wildly wave about as he approaches.

Morgan grins and replies, "Fear not Owain, for I have returned with a new ally!" He then drags Inigo forward. The bashful boy squeaks a timid, "M-me?" and points to himself.

"Good work! Now that our forces have grown, we can take down any and all evil!" The blond-haired boy laughs haughtily. Lucina giggles at her brother and cousin's theatrics.

"But first, we must secure the princess's safety and guide her back to the fortress!" He bows and holds out his hand to Lucina. She merely tilts her head and asks, "What about Cynthia?"

Owain rolls his eyes and says in a disgusted tone, "She's playing with Severa and Yarne. She said she wouldn't play with us until we played house with her."

"Well, why didn't you?" she asks.

"Because it's a _girl_ game," he exclaims, his face scrunching up in exasperation. He then begs, "Come on Lucina, please? We need a princess."

She sighs, "Fine, I guess." In a snooty tone of voice, she says, "As the princess of Ylisse, I leave my life in your hands."

"Don't worry Lucina. As your brother, I will definitely save you!" Morgan declares.

"Yeah! Now we just need a monster…" Owain hums in contemplation, placing a finger to his chin. He turns and grins evilly at Inigo, who gulps, and says, "As the newest member of the Justice Cabal, you must first become the monster."

"But I thought I was an ally," Inigo argues. Owain points at him—perfectly ignoring his mother's instructions not to—and says, "If you wish to become a part of the Justice Cabal, then you must first pass the initiation, which is playing as the monster first."

Inigo groans in resignation. How does one act like a monster, anyhow? Especially if said person's parents are considered war heroes.

"Great! Now, Inigo, since you're new, you have to follow the rules," the blond-haired boy instructs. "Rule number one is that when I shout a move name, you have to let me finish. This rules applies to everyone. Also, no _actual_ hitting. My mother will be furious if any one of us—especially me—end up in the clinic." He cringes when he remembers his mother's shrill voice and deadly, waving staff. Two years before, he tripped Yarne, who ends up with a bloody knee, scraped hands, and teary eyes. The young Taguel, of course, revealed the culprit to the kind cleric. To this day, Owain still holds a small grudge against the rabbit-like boy and teases him whenever he can.

"Er, o-okay," the bashful boy stammers. The rules, he thinks, are odd and, to an extent, stupid. No matter, he nothing better to do and his mother recommend he play with the other children in order to overcome his shyness.

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

The woods, Inigo decides, are a scary place to be. The dry, dead leaves breaks and crumbles too easily, startling him whenever he steps foot on a particularly large one. The dense vegetation from above blocks the sunlight, leaving only small pockets of light on the dirt floor. He steps over the branches and vines carefully, avoiding the small puddles of mud. He hears the sound of leaves rustling and giggling in the distant. A flash of blue hair disappears behind the bushes. He has caught sight of his prey and, grinning mischievously, slowly creeps forward. Once he is close enough and the noises have gone, he roars ferociously (as ferociously as a child could achieve, anyways). Immediately, the trio of children stands from their hiding place.

"Halt, foul beast! You shall not advance any further!"

"My sword hand shall quell your fury!"

Inigo roars again, enjoying himself, until a stray vine catches his foot. He yells out in surprise and lands in the dirt. He panics and struggles with the stubborn piece of vegetation.

Lucina, seeing his plight, jumps to her feet and yells, "I'll save you, Inigo!" She picks up a nearby stick—first weighing it—and shouts, "Falchion!" She then whacks the tree from where the vine comes. Of course, the vine is hardly damaged and Inigo's constant wriggling is enough to loosen it from his ankle. He thanks her regardless.

"Lucina," Owain whines, "You're supposed to be a princess." He stomps his foot childishly, and thinks to himself that he is supposed be the hero, not her.

She sticks her tongue out at him. "Being a princess is boring. Besides, I'll be the one to wield Falchion," she states proudly.

"And I'll be the tactician that saves the world," Morgan exclaims, as well.

"Che, in your dreams. I'll be the hero to save the world!" Owain, also, cries out.

Inigo mutters to himself, as he dusts himself off. He grimaces when the mud smears onto his clothing further. The trio, upon noticing the fourth member of their group, helps him, though the situation has not improved. Regardless, most of the mud is dry and, hopefully, will blend in with the brown cloth he wears.

"Ack, It's almost dinnertime!" Owain shouts. "Race you there, Lucina!"

"You're on!" The two cousins dash off towards the castle's main gates. Inigo, having enough of running and tripping for one day, opts to walk. Morgan slows his pace as well.

"Say, what do you want to be when you grow up, Inigo?" he asks.

"Um…" the other boy blushes and looks down at his feet. "I'll tell if you promise not to laugh."

"Pinky promise," Morgan says, and holds up his pinky finger mid-air, though the other boy makes no move to raise his own.

"Alright, well, I want to be a dancer," he whispers the latter part. He glances around, making sure there is no one nearby to hear his words.

"Boys don't dance though," Morgan bluntly points out.

"That's what everyone says," Inigo states glumly. Sensing his friend's distress, Morgan immediately says. "But I'm sure if it's you, you'll be the best dancer there is!"

"Yeah," he sighs.

When the two boys reach the entrance of the castle—Owain yells at the two to hurry—they are met by the chiding gazes of their respective parents. Both turn to look at each other and, guiltily, swallow the bile in their throats.

"Inigo," Olivia says disapprovingly, "Why are you covered in mud?" The pink-haired dancer begins to dust off the flaky specks of dirt from his clothing. "Dried mud stains are so hard to remove," she mutters to herself. Inigo apologizes quietly and looks to the other children for assistance. Morgan merely shrugs; Lucina smiles sheepishly; and Owain tries to sneak away, but is caught by his mother.

"Lucina, Morgan," Chrom addresses, "Did you two go to the woods again, even though your mother and I specifically told you not to?" Both children refuse to his stare. Eventually the guilt becomes too overwhelming, and Morgan breaks first: "It was Owain's idea!"

"I thought we were brothers-in-arms, you traitor!" The blond eleven year old shouts indignantly.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gone outside in the first place," Lissa grumbles. "Now, I'll have to give you _another_ bath!"

"Don't be so harsh on him, Lissa," Robin intervenes, and returns with a handful of damp towels. She hands them to Olivia. "After all, it _is_ Chrom's fault for leaving that gaping hole in the wall," she coolly says. The mentioned man gulps, remembering his accident as a youth. He did not think his children would find it, since thick bushes hide it.

"Er, right. Anyways," he changes the subject, "Lucina, how are you supposed to be a princess if you're covered in mud all the time?" He asks, picking her up. Morgan pouts—he wants to be held too, but has too much pride to show it.

"To hell with being a princess, I want to be a warrior king!" she exclaims proudly. When she receives silence instead of a response, she asks, "What?" Her parents and aunt gape at her; Owain lifts up a hand to cover the slight upward of his lips; Morgan merely stares in confusion; Inigo gasps; Lon'Qu smirks slightly, but turns his head away; and Olivia murmurs, "Oh dear."

"Lucina, who taught you such vulgar language?" Robin, upon recovering from the shock, demands.

"Uncle Vaike did, why?" she answers. She has yet to understand why these types of words children are not allowed to speak such words, but knows adults only speak these kinds of words. As far as she is concerned, the twelve year old considers herself grown enough.

"Lucina, do not listen or repeat whatever your uncle says, understand? You are not allowed to use such language until you're older," Chrom says sternly. She begins to protest, "But I am old. I'm older than everyone else—even Laurent."

He interrupts, "No if's, and's, or but's about it. Now, you and Morgan go follow your mother and wash up. It's about time for dinner." He lets her down onto the stone path.

"Yes, father," she sighs in defeat. Morgan smirks and taunts, "Lucy got in trouble." She shoves him in return. Robin scolds the two of them and threatens to withhold dessert. The two are quick to demure and bid goodbye to Inigo and Owain, before following their mother inside.

"I'm going to kill that idiot," Lissa scowls. She cannot recall the amount of times she told her husband to not swear near the children. She turns to Olivia and apologizes, "I'm so sorry—you can stay if you'd like?"

"O-oh no," Olivia starts, "It'll be fine. It's getting late and we really should get going." She begins to fidget, uncomfortable to be eating in such a grand hall.

"Right," Lon'Qu cuts Lissa off, before she can say otherwise. "Inigo, say goodbye to everyone."

"You too, Owain," she orders.

The two boys face each other and bid each other an awkward farewell. Soon, Inigo and his parents are riding in a caravan back home. His mother asks, "Did you have fun today?"

"Mm…" he slurs. His eyes begin to droop and he slumps against his mother's arm. "Yeah, it was fun," he yawns. She laughs a little and hugs him closer. His mind slowly drifts off, as he focuses on his mother's warmth and the slight swaying of the vehicle. Its movements eventually lull him to sleep.

* * *

A story focusing on the children version of Inigo, Lucina, Morgan, and Owain. I love these type of stories and wanted to type one up. Hopefully, I didn't blotch up the children's characters. Lucina's especially, because she is so serious in the future that it's difficult for me to picture her child version.

Criticism, feedback, and reviews are appreciated.


End file.
